Warriors told to Shape up or Ship
out

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The New Zealand Warriors management will respond to continuing lack of performance by the team with player changes, then a coaching change if that fails.

That was the message from chief executive officer Mick Watson after a talk with the squad at which it was made clear that a performance-based business could not tolerate the sort of performance the team produced against Manly on Sunday.

"We have a duty to fans and sponsors and at the moment we are not delivering on that," Watson said.

"Unless we climb up the table then there will be a review at the end of the season that will lead me to make structural changes."

Responding to the calls for a change of coach, Watson said:

"We're all under the hammer but I don't think it is the coaching methodology that is in question. Everyone is saying the coach should go but we (Cullen Sports) are sophisticated in the way we measure performance and build structure and I think Daniel (Anderson) is still the coach he was."

"The players could not explain to me what's going wrong with them. I feel, for them, they're at a loss. But if you're still showing no respect for the football at crucial passages of play and if you don't want to get off your line and tackle then it's very hard to blame the coach."

Watson said his role now was to review the shape and structure of the squad to turn them into a force in the premiership in future.

"Everyone is under threat," he said.

He did not believe he had taken his own eye off the ball, with boxing and rugby interests taken up by Cullen Sports.

"The business is still sound."

Owner Eric Watson was shocked at the team's last place on the table.

"He's (Eric Watson) looking for a rally and a turnaround but is most concerned that we're building the business for the future, he's cool under pressure," Mick Watson said.

There is no magic wand, no star player or rack of talented juniors to come in and turn things.

"We have to tough it out. This is about character, about who you are as a person."